The Catnap Collection
by DreamOfStories
Summary: A collection of ficlets and shorts based on Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine and the various things it's readers have lovingly spawned.
1. Orochimaru

Ficlet inspired by **Senju Tsunade and the Shikabane-hime** by **Ashen Author.** You can find it on page 17 of the Recursive Fiction Topic in the forum.

-/-/-

1\. Orochimaru had first heard about Shikaku's daughter in passing - a comment from Inoichi on how Shikaku seemed even lazier than usual. He'd only paid attention to them because the frustration of his most recent failure had been such that he had wanted a diversion - any diversion. They'd talked about the baby Nara's diagnosis of chakra sensitivity and more intriguingly, the fact that she had survived the Kyuubi incident. She had been the only chakra sensitive child to manage that - he himself had lost twenty specimens - and he'd felt a vague stirring of curiosity. He hadn't acted on it in the end because he'd gone back to his labs from that meeting to discover a breakthrough with the Senju project and after his games with Danzo had taken all his attention.

2\. The second time Orochimaru heard of Shikako she was again, nothing more than a footnote. Her name was mentioned only as the obligatory third team member of the genin team that would hold the Younger Uchiha and the Jinkurriki and in all there was only one sentence given. It stated that she would probably not prove to be a hindrance in the Younger Uchiha's growth until he could be successfully retrieved as she was by all accounts a 'serious kunoichi'. Orochimaru had snorted at that - Tsunade had been the same once - and wondered briefly if this Team 7 would suffer the same fate of all the others. There is barely any mention of the girl at all in the following reports.

3\. The first time Orochimaru actually sees the girl in person, it's just outside the Forest of Death. He hadn't bothered infiltrating the first part of the exams, it would have been a waste of time, but this... Registration... is unavoidable. The hopefuls will be watched to closely going in and the the borders guarded. This is simplest and he can check on his dear former apprentice. He also takes the opportunity to note the feel of the Younger Uchiha's chakra and that of his teammates to be safe. The girl feels like gossamer shadows and damp earth - expected, as she is a Nara with an earth affinity - but there is something extra to her chakra that he can't quite categorise. It brings to mind vague, long forgotten curiosity. Still, he is here for a purpose. The girl is nothing compared to her teammates potential.

4\. In the forest he is unsurprised to find the Uchiha's team together. Kakashi had by all accounts done an amazing job of reducing the Uchiha's potential as a flight risk. He is not surprised when the girl and the Uchiha manage to dodge his attack, though he hadn't expected it. He is mildly surprised that the girl can throw off the paralysing effect of his killing intent. It doesn't matter, she is nothing more than a particularly irritating fly and he swats her away absentmindedly. Then the Jinkurriki is there and he half ignores the girl again. Naras. Smart, intelligent but ultimately useless. She is within his notice only because her chakra never separates from his prey and using her questions to instruct the Uchiha is... Useful. But she interferes again, and now he is actually mildly annoyed. The Uchiha's choked cry of anguish as he takes his second teammate out is obvious to his ears and he absently makes notes of the boy's regard for her. Perhaps she is the one needed to awaken the boy's mangekyo sharingan? It is enough of a possibility that he doesn't kill her personally when he's finished with the Uchiha. She could be... useful. That doesn't mean he fails to mention her to his little puppets. They are so eager to impress after all.

5\. It seems he was correct in his estimations. He had been mildly concerned at Kabuto's failure to locate them but his second had confirmed that his puppets were dead so the seal had presumably settled correctly. Of course, when Team 7 successfully makes it to the preliminaries and the girl once again shows that she is as smart as she is irritating. It is not difficult to sense the way her chakra unfurls inside her teammate, pushing up against his seal, again protecting her teammate. He takes the time to imagine someone of her intelligence and loyalty in his force as he toys with the Uchiha and feels mildly regretful he didn't make a move for her when she was younger. It is a fleeting emotion, easily suppressed by the amusement of once again succeeding in pulling the wool over his old sensei's nose.

6\. Orochimaru is arrogant, prideful and dismissive of those he deems weaker - but he is not a fool and knows what his weaknesses are. The Invasion of Konoha should have done vastly more damage than it did. It had not, so his plans had failed and now, now he needed to know why. Ultimately, it was easy to conclude that there had been a leak of some sort. Less than a day after the preliminaries had finished, Kabuto was cornered by ANBU and forced to blow his cover to escape - apparently as a result of a number of different clans filing their suspicions. His own careful preparations had been limited by the resulting surge in security. Even Sensei had been better prepared than he had anticipated. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in anger. If he ever found out who it was that had revealed his spy, he would take great pleasure in making them his next specimen.

7\. The next month or so does not go as well as Orochimaru had hoped, but there had been progress. His arms were still damaged, but better than before, and Danzo had called on his skills. He had offered the location of his future host in payment. It had led to the chance to observe the most interesting confrontation. Not that his puppets knew he was watching, but he had enjoyed seeing how the boy was growing. The irritating girl was there, apparently well recovered from her run in with Itachi. His host definitely cared for her more than he would have preferred if his softly spoken query was any indication. In his distant hideout, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Those bonds would have to be weakened if he was to lure the boy away.

8\. There had been no one who returned from the mission to retrieve the Uchiha, and only one live prisoner taken by Konoha. He wasn't concerned about Tayuya. If she returned to him, good, but if not there were others. Even if they were less skilled, they would have a purpose. It did mean that it took him time to find out what had happened. Time, during which he was forced to use his back up body. The girl hadn't played a major part in the so called 'Sasuke retrieval' mission, but it does not escape his notice that by all accounts she had latched onto her teammate and countered the Sound Four's manipulations. Sasuke had chosen to stay because of his ties to the village, to his team - to her. Perhaps his approach towards the young Uchiha was wrong...

9\. Orochimaru rarely takes an interest in events beyond his own games, but the incident in Grass captures his attention. The rumours are disjointed, twisted by the budding civil war that has kept Grass so nicely distracted from his own activities... But they all agree that Nara Shikako had been under the Kantokusha Clan jutsu and had still been able to fight back and activate explosion tags. It shows a level of skill beyond what he had expected from the Kunoichi... It reminds him of all those moments he had been vaguely interested in the girl in earlier years. It reminds him of her intent to kill, her presence that had been coincidently on the outskirts of all of his greatest failures recently. Nara Shikako is interesting in her own right and if acquiring her will bring his desired host straight to him... Orochimaru smirks as he begins to plot.


	2. Sensor

My contribution to the Songbird!Shikako thing that we had going on.

-/-/-

The woman that has only ever answered to the term 'Sensor' is still as she waits for Danzo to signal her over. She has known that Danzo would call for her presence soon. How could he not when such an interesting young thing has found its way down here out of the sun? Of course she would be called upon. No one else would know, could know, what it is that's been brought here.

Still, Danzo is taking no chances. His new asset (because he wouldn't let her go never never never) is lying there completely out of it. Sleeping deeply under so many seals that her bright wonderful presence is actually dimmed slightly. Despite herself, Sensor is impressed and a little disturbed. Danzo-sama was sure nothing could block her gift.

"What can you tell me?"

Sensor shudders slightly as she opens herself fully to the presence and focuses on it. Deep shadows and bright sunshine twist in and out of each other with the deep and steady thrum of earth hovering beneath it all. Star light and a million other things stretching off through space and time, impossible ties that stretch beyond anything here in this world are above. Her, next to the child, it is like standing in her own little world. Earth beneath her, stars above, and dancing mystery in between.

It's just like the first time, shortly before the Kyuubi attack when the child had first been born and her spirit cried out in fear and confusion. Only, Sensor was half way across Fire Country then, and a good distance under it. She was only just beginning her training, her gift being broken and remoulded until there was not a single person in the whole of Fire who could hide from her when she focused her gift in their direction. It had been the most beautiful, most tragic thing she'd ever seen - like a star falling to earth, like the children that had seen the sky spoke of - and she'd clung to it through out training like she hadn't clung to her partner.

If Sensor had been kinder she might have lied. If Sensor had been kinder, she might have told the full truth. She could have - could have told that the child was an alien from the stars and was bound up in their future as tightly as a fly caught in a spiders web...

Sensor doesn't remember what kindness is. Even if she did, she's always been a bit selfish.

"She's everywhere... Her mind stretches so far... All of time unfolding..."

Sensor is known for two things her unusual sensitivity to time and spaced based jutsu - and the fact she doesn't track chakra, she tracks something else, something less easier to quantify and impossible to block. She is a perfect Root agent, even if like the other assets she will never go on a mission. Her loyalty is (believed to be) absolute. There is no reason to doubt her.

"You are saying she can see the future?"

Sensor nods blankly. Something flutters in her stomach. It could just be gas. It doesn't matter though, because Danzo believes her and Sensor knows she's done the right thing.

The Falling Star is an asset now. Assets are kept. Assets are hidden. Assets are guarded.

She won't have to worry about her Star being taken beyond range of her senses ever again. It'll always be where she knows it is alive and safe. Danzo-sama is reliable like that.


	3. Smothered in Sand

This is set during the 4th war. In case anyone didn't recognise the circumstances. Inspired jacksgreys0n's ficlet - Dreaming of Serenity. It's found on their Tumblr; search 'jacksgreysays' 'tumblr' and 'dreaming-of-serenity-a-dos-remix-drabble' via your preferred search engine.

-/-/-

Shikako can't breathe. There is so much chakra in the air. Not just the calm gentle chakra of living green that she has oh so slowly adapted to, or the thrumming frantic (still sometimes painful but getting so much better) chakra of her fellow shinobi, but other chakra - chakra cold and dead, boiling and regretful, fiery and angry, happy and flighty, prickly and wise, fizzy and sparkly like champagne bubbles and under and over it all glowing sunlight that shines bright and _burns_. This... This is not a fight she is suited for and she wouldn't be here but she can't abandon her team either. So she goes and she tries but... It's too much.

She is distantly aware of her knees going as her legs just seem to fold. It's distantly because she is far more concerned with getting air into her lungs. Not since that single day so many years ago had she struggled so much. The air might as well be solid chakra and she can't... She can't.. Then there is warmth and safety and a familiar presence wrapping around and engulfing her and she lets herself slump and relax.

It's alright. Gaara's here.

-/-/-

They are barely even anywhere near the fight when it all goes wrong. One minute everything is going fine and he and Gai are responding to the call for backup, Shikako trailing behind in case they need a medic or a sealer... The next Shikako collapses gasping on the ground, lungs working but no air getting in, her wide eyes darkening with panic as she curls up and tries to fight off something that he can't find, can't sense.

Gai is posturing to his left, assuring Kakashi that he has things under control, that Kakashi should stay. A tiny part of him is grateful for the reassurance but Gai can't handle the fight alone and he can't bring himself to leave his only female student. Catch 22. Which teammate does he abandon? Who does he prioritise? Then Sand sweeps forward and instinct has him sweeping his helpless not-so-little chunnin up as he tries to dodge. He doesn't quite manage it and feels white hot anger as Shikako is engulfed in sand. He is going to be forced to watch another team-

It's Gaara?! Wasn't he a country away? What is he doing here?! Why is he looking like he is going to crush Shikako?

"Go. I will protect her."

Kakashi feels vaguely like his world has turned inside out. No matter how much Gaara has changed a large part of him will never trust the young Kazekage fully. To be in his sand, to be completely engulfed... Kakashi is certain he'd be freaking out. Except Shikako is not. The panicked fluttering of her chakra has calmed a little. It's settling down, dampening in preparation for sleep. Kakashi can't understand it but Shikako trusts Gaara enough to feel comforted by his sand. She's calming down, protected and safe and his other precious student needs him. He gives a glare and a nod and leaves at a dead run. As he does, he can't quite ignore a niggling tiny thought at the back of his mind.

What exactly had Shikako been up to with Gaara in Suna?


	4. Shikako the Missing Nin

Originally there was going to be a bingo book involved. It didn't quite fit in the end. Thanks to 13LuckyWishes for the prompting ficlet and the read through. First ficlet can be found on page 19 of the Recursive Fanfiction topic on the Forum.

-/-/-

It had been three months since she had left Konoha. She had hoped to have at least found them by now, but tracking down the remnants of one specific clan was... harder than she had anticipated. They had gone to great lengths to hide themselves while leaving clues their scattered kin could follow. Following the subtle trail they had left had certainly taxed her ingenuity, even as it convinced her that the people who had made the trail had definitely been from her, or at least 'an', Earth. She s upposed she should count herself lucky that the clues were carefully written so as not to be too dependant on any particular culture's idioms or heritage - the ruins of their old clan site had certainly contained enough of those! - but some of the references weren't that much easier. It had been years so half the time she was surprised she remembered anything like the constellations Crux and Orion, which, among other things, didn't have an equivalent in this universe. At least the majority of clues seemed to be geared towards people from the 20th century. If they had been aimed at someone from, say, Ancient Syria, she'd have been completely lost.

It was following these riddles which had led her here, to a small village just beyond Lightning's exclusion zone. It was the third time she'd had to search for an old shrine, each subtly highlighted by manipulating the flow of natural chakra, and this newest one had contained the line 'towards Polaris from where Zeus holds reign.' Given that the village had been named for this world's _North Star_ and was near _Lightning_ , she figured she was fairly close. She just had to wander around until she felt the flow of natural energy and then follow it to its source - easy. If she waited for the single shinobi she could feel on the edge of her senses to leave or go to sleep then she could get the next riddle and be another step closer to finding answers and going home.

She blinked as two fast moving chakra signatures - _familiar_ signatures - entered the town from its far side. All but slamming her chakra into her Shadow Stone, she tried to choke down her panic as she felt the signatures move around the town... almost as if they were searching. Had they... had they found her?

Some of the tension drained away as the pair met up with the other shinobi there, before splitting up. That left one of the newcomers alone while the other two headed off towards Lightening. She took a deep breath and forced it out slowly. Then took another. Then another. She should not have jumped to conclusions. If they had found her it wouldn't have just been Jiraya and Naruto; at a minimum Sasuke, Shikamaru and Kakashi would have been there too. Probably more, she was fairly certain she wasn't less valuable to her friends than Sasuke had been. No, she didn't need to panic. She was fine. They hadn't found her. Not yet.

But... she needed to go to the village. Not only were her supplies getting low, she was certain that was the next waypoint. If she could just get to it and memorise what was written wherever it had been hidden... But it had been months... And even if he was furious at her, it would be so nice to see a friendly face, to not hide herself for once... and she had got so much better at turning to shadows.

...What would be the harm... Just for an hour or so while Jiraya wasn't there...

The flow of chakra led her to the water fountain in the village's centre. Unlike the other waypoints, there was no riddle or hidden symbols to point where she should go next, just a basin of water carved from some highly polished stone. Had she got it wrong? She frowned and sent a carefully controlled thread of chakra in to examine the fountain. There was something there, something that reminded her of her kidnappers, that tugged gently at her chakra and reminded her of the seals that caused the interesting flow of natural energy, not that she could really look at them. She had never gotten her seal microscope to work...

"Hey! Hey you! Shikako!"

Shikako spun around, unsure how she had completely missed the fact that Naruto was no longer loitering where Jiraya had left him and wandered her way instead. Glancing around carefully, she relaxed when she didn't see or feel anyone else and cautiously turned to Naruto.

He was beaming at her. Like being here was an awesome surprise and a birthday gift and just the most amazing thing ever. She managed a cautious smile back and Naruto let out a happy laugh and swept her into a hug. "I knew I recognised you! You just look so different! What's with wearing all that blue like the teme? I thought green was your colour? What's your mission? Can I help? How's everyone doing back home? I bet everyone's getting really strong! Can-"

Shikako felt an immense wash of relief as Naruto chattered away. He didn't know. This... this visit could turn out ok. She smiled shakily and stepped away to get a better look at her teammate.

"Ne, Shikako? You ok?"

"Hm?"

"Well before you were all kinds of tense and then you just relaxed like 'poof' and now you're kinda..." He squinted at her before smiling. "You look way better than when I last saw you!"

Shikako blinked. "I do?"

"Yeah, you've always been kinda intense but now you're sort of... more relaxed? Not completely - and you should definitely sleep more because you've got these bags under your eyes that are kinda blue and you look kind of thin... I know! Ramen! The place here isn't anywhere near as good as Ichiraku's but it isn't bad either and ramen _always_ makes everything better!"

Shikako let Naruto chatter on as he pulled her towards what as presumably the ramen stand (trust Naruto to know exactly where the best ones were) and thought back on what her teammate had said. It was... true... she guessed. She had been feeling less stressed since she'd left. Her family would either forgive her or they wouldn't when she got back, but at least now things weren't getting worse with a constant cold silence. There was no one pushing at her, telling her she wasn't ok, that she was failing. There was no background worry in her mind that she might slip up, that her fellow shinobi would notice her secrets. Konoha didn't need her. They had managed fine without her before and this time they had Sasuke as well! Right now, the only one she was responsible for was herself and that felt... that felt kinda good.

"Share! I want to hear how everyone's doing!"

Shikako grinned at Naruto and proceeded to tell him about everything that had been happening. She started with the chunin exams (You fought Gaara! You have to show me this great pillar thing!); how they each did and their promotions (All of you, datteybayo! That's brilliant!); about the piggyback race back though she left out the kidnapping (Sasuke too? Haha!); and finally her promotion to special jonin and her assignment to the intelligence division and the sensory squad. Naruto was an appreciative audience and seemed genuinely pleased at how they had all done. It was nice, Shikako had forgotten what it was like, to just sit and talk to someone without the constant looks and 'are you ok's. Being with Naruto again, feeling his familiar sunny chakra as they ate ramen together... It was nice.

Then she felt it. Chakra, familiar chakra that she had felt before in a rough stone room. Naruto noticed her distraction and groaned. "I guess you've got to get on with your mission, huh?"

She shrugged and sent him a reluctant smile. "Sorry. You know how it is."

"Yeah... You should come find me more often though! I like knowing how you're all doing! Pervy-sage won't tell me anything!"

"I'm sure he's got a plan." Pulling some loose change out and putting it on the counter, she pulled her pack on and made sure she had everything secured. "Take care of yourself, yeah?"

"You too! Good luck!"

Shikako waved an absent hand over one shoulder as she focused on tracking down that elusive chakra, Naruto loudly demanding another bowl behind her. If she was lucky, she might have just found what she'd been looking for. She might even get to go home soon. It was... a nice thought...

.

Thoughtfully, Naruto watched his teammate go while keeping half an ear on the ramen chef. He hadn't lied, she did look more relaxed than he'd seen her in forever, but... he could tell something was up, just as he could tell she didn't want to talk about it. Those bags under her eyes didn't look so bad now, but the size of them showed that they had been pretty awful at one point. And she was definitely thinner. Perhaps he should send a letter to Kakashi-sensei and the Teme telling them to take better care of her. Shikako was good at hiding things that upset her; they might not have noticed if it was a slow change and she didn't want to worry them. Jiraya had taught him all about that!

Feeling accomplished, he finished off two more bowls of ramen and bounced back to the inn to write out his letter. A few lines later, Jiraya came stomping into the flat looking annoyed. Naruto frowned at him. Now he'd forgotten what he was going to write! Jiraya frowned back before sending a suspicious look at the paper he was writing on.

"Ok brat, what are you doing?"

"I'm writing a letter of course! Kakashi-sensei and the Teme need to take better care of Shikako-chan!"

Jiraya winced. "You heard, then?"

Naruto stilled. That... didn't sound good. Shikako had skipped over things, yeah, but they'd been having a good time! Of course she wasn't going to bring up depressing stuff...

"Look, I know you want to go charging off to help her, but it's better if you just continue training with me."

Naruto scowled at him, crossing his arms and focusing everything he had on not showing he was puzzled. Which 'her' was he talking about? Ino? Ten-ten? Shikako had said they were doing really well at the chunin job thing. Hinata too! The only girl he knew that she hadn't mentioned much about was... Damn it! Had something happened to Sakura-chan?

"Come on! It's been three months! Even if you could go back and follow her trail, it would be completely lost by now. Your sensei and the hunter nin have already tried."

Naruto's mouth dropped open in horror. "Sakura-chan's missing?!"

"What?! No! Damn it, brat, where did you get that idea?! We're talking about Shikako running off to be missing nin!"

"...Shikako did WHAT?!"


	5. Shikako gets a Summon (DrWho Cross)

Because as terrifying as they are, they are also the perfect Nara summons. And Shikako isn't terrifying enough on her own.

-/-/-

A week after adding team training to my schedule, I felt like screaming. I was operating on less than five hours sleep; had dropped all of my own projects even the interesting ones. I hadn't had a chance to see any of my friends except Ino and that was a joint exercise for sensory training. Honestly, I was so busy... and if that was all it was I might have appreciated the effort my teachers were going to and been glad. Only, it wasn't. On top of that, there was my beloved twin.

He wouldn't leave me alone! I tried ok? I tried to understand where Shika was coming from, that he had been hurt and worried, but he didn't get it - he wasn't even trying to get it - and I was through with his... his... I was through with him. Just, just for the rest of the day. It was my first chance for a break in over a week and I was NOT going to waste it arguing with him and getting upset. I was going to look after myself, do something I enjoyed - put myself first - like Ino had suggested. I was going to go somewhere quiet and safe and just... just breath. Then when I'd calmed down from my last argument maybe I'd feel like going over the notes I'd all but abandoned, or I could read one of the books I kept sealed on my person and hadn't had a chance to look at for a month... Right now, I could do anything because this was my time and if Shikamaru had a problem with that then too bad.

Taking a deep breath, I slipped into the Nara woods. It had been a while since I had been here last. I remember when Dad had bought me here with Shikamaru the first time. It had been kind of awe inspiring even back then. The warning that only Naras could wander around her safely after dark just made it cooler - even as we promised not to invite anyone to come camping after dark. Even now, when I felt like a wobbly stack of cards just waiting to fall down, the peaceful calm was just like I remembered. The shadows, even now in the brightness of mid-afternoon, left a maze of black shapes and webs scattered through the forest. A cool breeze blew over my skin, and I felt a little more of the tension that still thrummed through me melt away.

Yes, coming here had been a good idea.

Toying with my pendant, I idly considered the cold feel of the stone beneath my palm. It was perfectly smooth, either worn into shape over time or manipulated into a perfect sphere and left for me by the Spirit. The chakra I'd been gradually feeding it was completely hidden, even from my newly sharpened senses. If it was a gift, a thank you for freeing it... I stilled, remembering the safety, the peace, the endless stretch of light... My hand clenched reflexively. I didn't regret it. I didn't. I had come back for Shika and no matter how much of an overbearing idiot he was being with his constant poking and prodding... He was still my twin and I still loved him. I just wished he could trust me a bit more, let me recover long enough to regain my equilibrium so I could talk about it without falling to pieces. I wished... I wished I could trust him as I had when we were younger, to read me as easily as I read him, to back me up when I needed him...

...And not to stalk me when I just wanted to be alone!

I'm not sure what happened next. I was angry, frustrated and didn't want to see him. I wanted... I'm not sure what I wanted. To hide, maybe? Maybe nothing would have happened if I hadn't been holding the stone, but I was. I just... I pulled as much of my chakra into a tight ball as I could. Only, I was also feeding chakra into the stone. We were connected, and when I pulled my chakra in, I pulled the chakra I had stored in the stone out.

I'd long got past the instinctual panic of parts of me suddenly being replaced by shadows. I'd even got as far as turning part of my chest into shadow and back in a particularly daring moment. If I stayed calm, if I didn't panic, then when I released the chakra my body wouldn't be panicking either. There would be no sign I had just been a shadow at all. None of that changed the fact I had consciously decided not to do this again until I had more time. None of that changed the fact I wasn't expecting the cool wispiness as I faded to shadow.

Shikamaru had stopped as if puzzled, before - carefully - he moved a little faster in my direction. Narrowing my non-existent eyes, I stepped backwards into the trees, deeper into a particularly dark shadow. Part of me was quietly freaking out over what I'd done, worrying that holding the transformation - risking a full transformation sooner than I'd wanted to - would do me some sort of harm. The larger part of me was watching my twin. He... as less than a meter from me now and he had no idea where I was. He was looking around the clearing, eyes sharp, posture straight, and his eyes just skimmed over the shadows she was in with no sign of recognition. He couldn't sense me. At all.

For about a little while, he just stood there: still, silent, patient. Maybe he was waiting for me to reveal myself, to slip up, to stop hiding. I didn't. I was curious now. How long could I hold this? How long could I stay hidden?

Five minutes later, Shika turned and left. I remained, holding onto this strange form for a little longer before I felt... something... stretch or shift? It wasn't something I'd done. I wasn't sure why I thought that, either. Just that, it was like something I hadn't noticed was watching me had shifted - and I'd caught the movement out the side of my eye. I suddenly had a strong feeling that I wasn't as alone as I thought, and strangely, that what I wasn't alone with approved of me. Then it nudged me, and I lost the shadow form out of shock. Only, I didn't change back.

 _'Not yet. Don't leave us just yet.'_

I swallowed or would have if I was solid. I couldn't shout in this form. I couldn't make a noise. I was... insubstantial... a shadow. It reached for me, the presence, as cool and soothing as the forest. In fact, now I thought about it, it felt exactly like the forest, or maybe the forest felt like it. It was familiar, and safe or Dad would never have let us play here unsupervised before we were old enough to leave the compound. Perhaps that's why I reached back. Perhaps not. Either way, it was pleased and the fact that I could feel that fascinated me.

 _'Hello, Cousin of Shadows.'_

 _'...Hello?'_ My words came out clumsily, slurred almost. I didn't understand how I was talking, only that I was.

 _'You are like us but not like us. Like your ancestors were like us but not like us.'_

 _'Because I am a shadow?'_

It laughed again. _'Yes. In the Shadows, we are one.'_

Then it shifted and almost opened? I couldn't think of a word for it, but suddenly I could feel - not it, but them. I could feel all of them, through out the whole forest. Some were almost dormant as they drifted through sunbeams. Some were active, hunting down a field mouse, toying with it almost. A few were stalking some academy children that had wandered over our borders. I could feel their thoughts, the boundaries that had been imposed of them and their hunger. The children were safe until dark. Then, if they were still there...

The swarm... And it was a swarm... Tugged gently at my attention and I wandered if this was what it was like for Shino with his kikai bugs. They shared with me a place, a... nest... hidden by seals, old Nara blood seals. I knew, just as I knew what the swarm were doing, that these seals would no longer keep me out, and that in the centre of the nest was a scroll.

 _'You will go there. You will look. We have decided. We have chosen.'_

Almost against my will (but not, because I was curious, because in the end I was moving myself) I drifted deeper into the forest and then after a surprisingly short time, into the shadowy nest. I became human again in a pitch black cave and summoned my chakra light. The darkness was so dense, it barely made a dent, then the swarm shifted and I could see the summoning scroll.

Because that was what it was. A summoning scroll, one that from the looks of it, did not have a living summoner. A summoning scroll for creatures that lived and thrived in the shadows. A summoning scroll, that was almost ideal for a Nara. I laughed, all the worries and anger of the day disappearing as the creatures shifted around me, dancing in and out of my flickering chakra light. Even the terms were reasonable - the Vashta Nerada would have free run of the Nara forest during the night time hours, feeding on any living thing they wanted except for humans with Nara blood or the Clan's deer and in return they would answer any summoner of the Nara clan. There were other qualifiers, a couple of points on what they wouldn't and would do... But it was all simple, obvious stuff. The only major catch was that the scroll could not leave the nest, and the potential summoner could only pass the seals when they were transformed shadows. I could understand why they hadn't been summoned in so long.

I signed.

I don't know what I was expecting, but nothing earth shattering happened. I was still me, no fizzle of energy shooting through me as I pressed my bloody fingers onto the scroll. There was a flutter among my new summons though, just before they swarmed me. I took the hint and pulled on the shadow chakra again. Now I felt it. I could sense them all, and through them everything living that was close by.

 _'If you need us Shadow Child, call us, and we will come eat all your enemies.'_ There was a hesitation, and then a sense of possessive / protectiveness. ' _But until you learn how to call us, some of us will accompany you.'_

For the first time, I felt... nervous about all this. I wasn't sure what people would think if I turned up with a new overprotective summon, particularly a carnivorous one. They must have guessed at my thoughts, or at least sensed some of my worry.

 _'We will not be discovered. We will remain in your shadow.'_

Yeah, because that was my concern.


	6. The Doctor Visits (DrWho Cross)

This was from the new DoS Crossover Plotting topic (the other thread was getting a bit big) and caught me during my commute yesterday. Sorta links to the summons ficlet too. Not entirely convinced of Shikako's portrayal near the end... Thoughts on that?

-/-/-

Shikako is scouting the area round their campsite when it happens. That sound. That sound that once upon a time came from nearly every TV set in Britain. A whooshing and a wailing sound that told everyone that the Doctor was here. But this isn't Britain, and it isn't a TV show. This is the outskirts of Konoha's exclusion zone and she is on a routine (C-ranked) patrol. Geeze, what is it with Team 7 luck? Even muted by Team 8, she is still attracting trouble. The Doctor up against Shinobi idealology? A time-traveller in the hands of Shinobi? She can't think of a single way this would end well.

She takes a second to check her chakra and confirm that no, this is not a genjutsu, and then diverts from her circuit almost immediately. She won't have long. The Doctor might not register on her chakra senses but her hearing isn't the sharpest out of her squad. That claim lies with Kiba. Not to mention what Hinata would make of the Tardis... Oh god Shino. She knew his habit of tagging his teammate's with his bugs. He would know she was deviating now. They'd be conferring and turning their attention to her and...

Shikako tumbles into the clearing just as a rake thin figure with messy hair steps out of his iconic blue box. Behind her, she can feel the chakra of her fellow patrol members beginning to move in her direction and grimaces. Worse, her faithful, ever hungry, summons are stirring. She doesn't have to look down to know that her own shadow is in completely the wrong position for the current time of day. It'll be too much to hope the Doctor doesn't notice...

"Oh hello there!"

She blinks at the cheerful grin and the big coat, worn over sneakers. There is something to be said for meeting a childhood icon and it takes her half a second to shake off the feeling. "You shouldn't be here."

He tilts his head to stare at her, eyes sharpening as the grin doesn't leave his face. "I shouldn't?"

"No. You really really shouldn't."

She does her best to keep her body language subtle. As it is, she hopes and prays that Hinata isn't reading their lips. It's something that still takes the Hyuuga concentration and if she's busy evaluating the situation for her team then she won't have that concentration to spare. Probably. Either way, he needs to leave now. And not just because otherwise she will have awkward questions to answer.

"Well maybe I..." He pauses, blinks at her shadow, and pulls out his screwdriver and points it at her. "There's something up with-"

Her teammates' chakra spikes in a way that means they are preparing for trouble. Kiba is slipping to the side, and Shino's chakra is churning in a way that means he is increasing his stock of bugs rapidly. Her team is ready for a fight, and she is out of time. She lunges at the Doctor, knocking him back into the Tardis. The Doctor doesn't push her off, just rolls them around so that he's sitting on top of her, still pointing that damn screwdriver in her direction. She wriggles beneath him and glances around for something to replace with, all the while cursing Jiraya for the direction her thoughts take. And puberty. She curses puberty too.

"Hold still a second, I could swear you have... but no... they aren't like..."

Shikako stills and groans in resignation as Team 8 burst into the clearing, each ninja gathering chakra in preperation for a jutsu, their killing intent rippling outward. The Tardis seems to take this as a threat and slams its doors shut, startling the Doctor. Something slams into the doors and they rattle. Shikako is vaguely impressed, or she would be, if she wasn't watching the Tardis' central column light up.

The Doctor's standing up now, shouting at the Tardis for taking him away from such an interesting puzzle. She's lying on the floor cursing her luck and wondering how she is ever going to explain this. If Shikamaru had calmed down recently, this is going to bring those issues old right back up... And how exactly is she going to explain this? Maybe come tumbling out of the box that appears seconds after it left? Although the Doctor isn't exactly known for his excellent Tardis driving skills. Hadn't there once been a joke about him bumping into the 60s? She shuddered and pushed herself up right. It was enough to catch his attention.

Spinning around and grinning at her, the Doctor clapped his hands once. "Right so... Names. I'm the Doctor, but you already knew that. Of much more interest is who you are..?"

"I'm Shikako. Look I don't want to be rude but I need to be back there. Now. Preferably before my twin finds out I was kidnapped. Again."

"You get kidnapped a lot then?"

"No... I'm just... Good at finding trouble. I... I think that's something we have in common?"

"Yep! You've heard of me then?"

She stares at him, at the bright grin, the loose stance and her summons whisper to her of the Oncoming Storm. They remind her that appearances are deceiving, of a time they had a whole world to play in, of a forest made of books. It isn't a reminder she needs. Not really. She may have forgotten the details of his story but some characters are just too big to forget completely.

"Yeah, I've heard of you. Why were you on my world anyway?"

The Doctor tilts his head, the grin softening even as his eyes flicker. The Doctor isn't as good at hiding his thoughts as she might have thought. "Your world?"

"Well, I share it with a lot of other people, but yeah, for the purposes of this conversation, my world, my home."

The Doctor shrugs. "No idea. Got a little turned around in the Luen Nebula. Very pretty around there - but cold." He claps his hands. "So, do you know what's up with your shadow? I thought... But then that wouldn't make sense."

Shikako shrugs. "Do you know where we are now?"

He looks at her. And it's a look that says 'I'm watching you' and 'I know your hiding things' and 'I will learn all your secrets'. Then he glances at a nearby screen and the look is replaced by his 'Don't mind me' grin. He's almost as good as Kakashi-sensei at throwing off suspicion. It's easy to see why his enemies are always under estimating him. If she didn't have her summons whispering to her of everything he's done, if she didn't know he was a hero and one of the most dangerous men in the universe... It would have been easy to dismiss him as harmless herself.

"Earth. Early 2010s."

"What?"

"Where we are. You just asked right? Lost in your head a little bit? Anything to do with those interesting parasites?

She managed a rueful smile that was a little more fake than she'd have preferred. "Yeah. So. Earth. Can we go have a look around?"

"You don't want to go home?"

She considers the question. She does... But... Being here now, even if it isn't her Earth... She closes her eyes briefly to hold back the grief. No. Not quite grief. Acceptance and... Resignation? Nostalgia? She might not remember her family that well anymore; she might barely remember her old life. She might not even consider this home, not really, not anymore, but she was torn away so quickly and she's here now. It would be nice to say goodbye to a Earth. Even if it wasn't hers.

"I do, but a day to explore wouldn't hurt right?"

 _A day to say goodbye_.

He examines her thoughtfully, before nodding, the grin softer, more subdued. "Nah, it'd probably be fine." His smile widens, "Could even be exciting, Miss Finder of Trouble!"

Shikako's lips twitch in a grin. "It could."

The Doctor's smiling properly now, but there is still that spark in his eyes. "Well. Let's see where exactly the Old Girl has bought us then."


	7. This Sunny Place (BtVS Cross)

Japanese in this is underlined for sake of differentiation. At this point, of the characters with speaking parts, only Shikako knows any Japanese. Have some ideas on how this could go. BtVS timeline wise, it's just before Kendra comes back to Sunnydale at the start of 'go fish'. DoS timeline... Post-shippuden around the great Weasel hunt or whatever equivalent Silver goes with. :)

Same deal as the Summons stuff. I have ideas and a vague plot, but I also have no time. Moving house this week!

-/-

The first thing that Shikako is aware of is that _there isn't any chakra._ None. It's like being in the dead wastes again before the Mine was destroyed. The constant background hum that Tonbo has been pushing her to become so familiar with is completely absent. It's uncomfortable and leaves an uncomfortable absence behind, just like that particular brand of silence that leaves your ears ringing. In contrast, something in her chest has untwisted itself and she can breathe. Just… breathe. Properly. There's no chakra to make her think she's choking. No emotions pulling at her awareness that aren't her own. It's like her chakra sense has suddenly gone completely numb.

These realisations take a second to sink in.

The next realisation that hits her is that she probably has a concussion. She's standing though, so she couldn't have been out that long - a second or so? Right now her thoughts are… Dazed? Confused? She knows her thoughts aren't exactly the most logical, but the reasoning for this takes a little longer. She remembers the exact instant she realises though; its like a light bulb going off in her head and makes her giggle. Then she carefully circulates healing chakra around her body hoping it will help. There's a small risk using undirected medical chakra but nothing more than that it could make it harder for the healers later. She doesn't think she has anything healing that will heal crooked though. Her limbs don't feel like they're broken and all her fingers move. She can see them wriggling in front of her face. It helps a little, but her thoughts are still fuzzy and strange.

Then she tries to remember what happened.

At this point she has no idea what happened or where she is. All she knows is that she is on a beach near the sea. That particular salty taste to the chakra-less air is unmistakeable. It's like a giant flashing sign, though a flashing sign would be painful right now. Ah, her memories are coming back. They seem pretty standard – she had been on a mission, jumping through trees. Her team was with her. They had ran into an Akatuski… There was the orange mask… oh no. The last thing she remembers is a fight against _Tobi_ and that she _doesn't remember how the fight ended_ only that it had _not been going well_ …

Shikako isn't ashamed to admit, even if just to herself, that the massive jolt of adrenaline that accompanies that memory brings to mind all the symptoms of a heart attack. It doesn't do anything to clear the fuzz from her thoughts though, just leaves her panicked and strangely tired. And wondering where she is and where her team is… There weren't any beaches northwest of Leaf...

Oh.

Her senses aren't completely numb and her team are relatively close. Not moving though. And rather easy to pick out in the dead background that is this world without chakra. Or not dead. There's a grey uniform-ness to the background. Like… if natural chakra was white noise then this is like dirty snow. Heavy and muffling and everywhere underfoot. Her teammates are bright vivid splashes of blue on the snowy canvas.

Her lips tilt up in a smirk. That was funny. And it fits them so well. They _are_ very colourful figures.

"Hey! Are you ok? O.M.G! You're bleeding!"

She tilts her head, as someone turns her towards them. There is something wrong with the words they're saying. She can understand them but… she shouldn't? She should? She blinks in confusion as a second voice joins the others and other people come out of the darkness. This is… They look weird… And they're dressed in strange clothes. They are civilians…? But…

Why would civilians be wearing jackets with 'Sunnydale' on? There wasn't anywhere in Fire called Sunnydale… Or maybe there was... That name did ring a bell... She was so confused...

"Hey! Someone call an ambulance! There's three more people here!"

"Oi Gage, come help me with this one! What is he - solid muscle?!"

"What's with the costumes? And they have weapons too! Are they cosplayers or something…?"

They… They shouldn't be doing that… "You're not supposed to touch…"

"That's an Asian language? Or something?" She blinks at green eyes and blonde hair, as the woman talks. "So you speak English? Were you attacked? What happened?"

Shikako reaches out to grip her arm as the world around her wobbles. Under her fingers, the woman feels more present, if just as strange as everything else in this world. She's filled with the same strange muffled feeling of the not-snow but… wispier, darker? Almost like… Shikako giggles. "You feel like me-" when I'm a shadow… But she had wanted to keep that a secret hadn't she? No one was supposed to know about her trump card just yet.

"Right, at least you speak some English... We need to get you all to a hospital."

English? She spoke English… She was speaking English? Her mouth was making weird sounds... And there was a word she was looking for… "No!" Civilian hospitals were bad. She knew that. "No hospitals." She touched her head gingerly and grinned when her fingers came away dry. "See not hurt!"

"…What?" The green eyed girl touched her forehead gingerly and her eyes widened. "Ok. We still have to go to hospital but I'll go too, ok? I'll make sure no one looks too closely or anything…"

The grip on her arm is unusually strong for a civilian and Shikako has another lightbulb moment that makes her grin. "You're Buffy!" The blonde's eyes that widen briefly inform her that she's correct even if she can't quite remember right now where the name came from. "You can go with me 'cause we feel almost the same." The girl did feel like shadows. Not her shadows, but shadows all the same… Shadows were a Nara thing right? So it was probably ok.

"Right."

Shikako paused, considering something else that… well, it hadn't just occurred to her. She'd thought about it before. Hadn't she? "Buffy… Where are we?"

"English?"

"Ah... Where are we?"

"Sunnydale, California. How hard were you hit anyway?"

"Don't know..." Shikako wobbled again, the blonde's grip all that was really keeping her upright at this point. "We were fighting... I think..."


	8. Sunshine is a Dream - Hearing

So the ficlet that inspired this **Sunshine is a Dream** , came very close to starting an argument on the forum. Its a controversial topic. I'm not saying I agree or not; I can just see how things might have gotten to that point. Of course, whether you agree or not, there's no arguing that the writing for that ficlet was amazing. Controversial, thought provoking and dark, yes. But then you can guess that from the title.

Enjoy if you can.

Edit: What was that with the max height and all? Really? Why?

-/-

Dad is there, at his usual seat in the council chamber, but he isn't allowed to vote or comment. He is just there to observe. My mum, my brother, they didn't come in with us - no one who isn't a witness or part of the council is. The room has been sealed for the duration of the hearing. I am glad of it to be honest. It is one thing to report to the Hokage and her Council that you had planned and executed a traitor to Konoha before he was officially marked as a traitor; it was another to admit to your friends that you had killed someone you liked and trusted - that you had planned it. Sensei is there too. I try not to look at him. Only, he's watching from just behind the Hokage's chair. It makes it harder. I have to look at her, and every time I do, I look at him. I can see the devastation and exhaustion in him. I know it's because of me, me and Sasuke. I'm sorry for that.

The questioning covers the time from when we had became aware Sasuke was missing until our return to Konoha. I tell them that it had been a bad feeling, that I was aware that something was wrong and had tried to establish what. I tell them how I had recruited Shikamaru to help me, how at first he had just been humouring me but then how we had discovered his room stripped bare. I had gone straight to fetch Naruto. Shikamaru had gone to report the absence. We then went through the fight with the Sound Four, how group by group the others fell back until the only ones left to try and retrieve Sasuke were Naruto and I.

It is then that things become difficult.

"You heard sounds of fighting when you were approximately two minutes run from the Valley? What made you certain that it was your teammates fighting?"

They keep using that word when they question me. Teammates. I'm pretty sure he's trying to make a point. I avoid using it whenever I can. I almost want to avoid names too, but calling him anything other than Sasuke is strange. It's the closest I come to showing that this is affecting me. I do my best to keep the rest of my report clinical. If I just state the facts, then I can hold off the emotion a little longer. I can keep from breaking down just these few hours more so that it happens at home, away from here, in private with my family.

"I couldn't sense any other chakra in that area and I am familiar with both Naruto and Sasuke's signatures. It was clear from their proximity, and the lack of other signatures that they were engaging each other."

"Very well, what happened next?"

"I attempted to activate some stunning tags. The tags failed. I hypothesise that this is due to the large amounts of corrupted sage chakra and normal chakra that was within his body. His chakra signature was very chaotic."

"You were two minutes away from the fight and you somehow managed to activate stunning tags."

I don't look at Sensei. I don't look at my dad. I don't look at the Hokage. I keep my gaze on the interrogator 'interviewing' me. "I placed the tags earlier, after the chunnin exams."

"At a time when Sasuke was still a loyal ninja of Konoha. Did you also plant the explosive seals then as well? Why did you choose to do this?"

I swallow. "I had tried to make friends with Sasuke during the academy. When we were assigned to the same team, I increased my efforts. Before the exams, these efforts were working, slowly. Sasuke was my teammate." I hesitate and take a brief sip of the cup of water in front of me. I'm not certain I can hide the trembling in my hands, but I do my best. They can all see it anyway. "During the exams a curse seal by Oochimaru was placed on him. It altered his chakra and in doing so it altered him. He wasn't... Any progress we had made since being assigned to the same team was lost. He wasn't the same as he'd been previously. He was worse, this combined with his increased efforts of friendship with Naruto was concerning."

"Your main argument about why you didn't trust Sasuke was because he didn't try to make friends, yet you were concerned when he increased his efforts to befriend Naruto?"

"Yes. Because it was only Naruto. I'm unsure if you are aware, but there is a higher level to the Sharingan than the three tometo. It's called the Mangekyo Sharingan. It can only be activated by killing your best friend and then suffering the guilt of that feeling. Sasuke was told by his brother that he'd need 'the same eyes' that he had to defeat him. He had previously all but ignored both Naruto and I. Now he made an effort to befriend Naruto, and only Naruto. I was concerned."

"Yet you did not approach your sensei?"

"I mentioned my concerns, but I did not go into specifics. I wasn't... I didn't want to accuse him. Not without evidence."

Not when accusing him would have resulted in him being evaluated and found unstable. Not when unstable Shinobi were stripped of their chakra and forced to take a civilian life confined to the village - or sent to the Konoha Correctional Facility in the worst cases. Sasuke... Sasuke would never have tolerated either option well. If there was a chance he could recover... I wanted to give him that chance.

"So you took your own precautions."

"Yes. Sasuke's clothes were looking rather worn. I offered to assist him in repairing them. He agreed. I took the opportunity to plant the stunning seals. Then I also planted the explosive seals - I didn't want to use them. I hoped I wouldn't have to."

"But you did."

"Yes, I continued trying to catch up with Naruto. When I arrived I saw that both Naruto and Sasuke were aiming assassination techniques at each other. I didn't believe that Naruto was aiming to kill. His arm was angled away from Sasuke's central body mass - an incapacitating blow, not a fatal one. I believed that Sasuke was. The stunning seals had failed, and Sasuke had actively chosen to defect. I could have done nothing and possibly watched him kill Naruto. I chose to activate the explosive seals."

I could remember that instant. Things had changed. It wasn't like in my memories. The timing was wrong, Sasuke was wrong. He wasn't the same Sasuke in the show. What if Sasuke intended to kill this time? What if he didn't shift his arm at the last moment? I couldn't let him kill Naruto; Konoha needed him too much. I couldn't let him defect either; I was not willing to see my friends and family face the 4th ninja war. He'd tried to kill Sakura later, I knew that. And... He wasn't my Sasuke. I knew what effect altered chakra had on a person's mind. I had had a very clear object lesson in it. I had to make a choice. I chose Naruto.

"The explosive seals."

"Yes."

"What happened then?"

"Naruto collapsed unconscious. I attempted to carry him home, but I was tired from my earlier fights. We didn't get far and we were intercepted by Kakashi-sensei."

The interrogator nodded to me, and turned to face the Council. He asked if they had any additional questions. The room was silent for a short moment and then Danzo stood. He was looking at me with approval. "I would like to propose that the charges against Shikako Nara are dismissed. She acted as a Konoha Shinobi should." I felt my stomach twist. Danzo approved? Danzo?!

There was a general round of muttering and I kept my hands fisted by my sides. I could hear some of the comments. That it had been a waste. That it was a shame I had not found a different way. That it was a pity such a promising young ninja had been reduced to that. I'm not sure if they are talking about me or Sasuke with that last one. The looks I am getting are suggestive, and I do agree with them. I wished I had found another way, but I had done my best. There wasn't any more I could do.

"I agree. The charges of murder of a fellow Shinobi against Shikako Nara are dropped. This hearing is at an end."

I did look at Tsunade then. She looked sad and tired and old. She looked sorry. I wasn't sure why. I had made the decision to act, not her. Sensei, next to her, looked the same. I guess he blamed himself for not noticing sooner how wrong things we with our team. I'm not sure he knew about the Mangekyo. He might even have taken Sasuke's attempts to reach out for Naruto as a positive thing. I don't know, and I knew I would never ask. I looked at Dad last. His face was blank, not disapproving. Not approving either, but I didn't expect that. I had to remember that before yesterday Sasuke was a loyal ninja, that I had to all appearances plotted to murder a loyal Shinobi and then, at the first excuse, killed him. So long as he didn't show how much he was disappointed in me...

It was alright if they didn't understand. Naruto would. He'd be upset, but he'd understand. It would be ok eventually. We'd get past this.


	9. Deep in the Jungle (Xover)

By this point Shikako was getting used to waking up in a different world. Sometimes it was somewhere she was familiar with, sometimes it wasn't. Sometimes it was one in a family, sometimes it wasn't. Sometimes she was standard 2 legs, 2 arms, 2 eyes human... Sometimes she wasn't. This time she was an only child with a large extended family, was in the middle of a jungle in the middle of nowhere, and looked... Well far be it for her to judge, but bright orange was definitely not her colour, and it really clashed with her skin. Natural or not, orange and green was a really bad combination.

At least she was enjoying herself. Her new family were always up for a song and she had a surprisingly good singing voice this time around.

-/-

The worst part of being born into a clan of colourful recluses was how overprotective they were. When she had found out that they lived only a few days from a village of normal humans, she had decided she really wanted to go see them. Her parents, her aunts, her uncles and her many cousins had put their collective foot down. Not only were humans dangerous creatures with cages and guns and chains, the journey itself involved travelling through the territories of hornswogglers and snozzwangersand thick jungle. When she later learned that, for all the dangers, humans had advanced technology, that they used phones and called this continent South America... She knew that she had to know more. If only to know when (if) the industrial revolution would hit them or to find out if anyone would be logging down her home anytime soon.

So... She snuck away.

-/-

If she hadn't snuck away, she wouldn't have ended up in her current predicament. If she had taken more time to learn this body's limitations, well, she'd still have been in this predicament but she'd have had more of a plan. This new body wasn't as flexible as even her last one, or as strong, and it was inherently clumsy. The only positive was that she had stamina that could have matched Naruto once. Once she had started moving she'd been fine.

Until she'd accidentally stumbled upon a lost human stumbling around the edges of a hornswoggler's territory anyway. At least, she thought he was human. She'd never seen a human so gangly or... Just strange. Not even the clumsiest of her previous comrades had ever seemed quite so uncoordinated. And was that a bright purple over coat...? In a jungle?!

-/-

She had taken him home, what else could she do? Leave him to get eaten? He'd apparently only just escaped one of the beasts when she'd found him and as loud and as colourful as he was, she had no doubt he'd attract others soon. So, she'd took him to safe territory, and then after satisfying herself at he was mostly harmless, had brought him home and proceeded to badger him with questions. He took it alł very well, perfectly happy to help her knowledge starved mind. Then eventually he told her, about himself.

He was searching for a mystical kind of chocolate nut or something and his name was Mr Wonka.

She had a feeling she should know that name.

-/–

When Mr Wonka offered to smuggle them back to his factory, there was a lot of debate on whether they should do it or not. If not for the fact that he offered them plenty of food, shelter and protection - protection they are surely lacking in this little corner of the world... Well it had still been close. Then he had mentioned cocoa beans. They'd been sold. Shikako thought that was a bit cheap of them, gambling their future on their favourite food, but eh, it wasn't like she didn't trust Mr Wonka. He was just... Likeable like that.

She did insist on going with him first, to make sure that it would be a nice place to stay.

That was when she made an amazing discovery.

The world outside the rainforest... It had chakra.

-/-

Getting the factory satisfactory took longer than expected. Part of that was Shikako's fault. Without the training from childhood she would never have the chakra reserves to do any of her old jutsu, but she could use seals again. She couldn't help but want to use them for everything' just to make things that little bit easier. The other part was Mr Wonka's. With the possibility opened up by her seals... Well he had big dreams. Amazing dreams. The place they built together...

A rainforest of chocolate...

Chocolate rivers...

Houses and boats and machines...

Then the defences, to protect her new people, her family and their new home, Shikako threw herself into the project whole heartedly.

Corridors that expanded and shrank and twisted your perceptions...

Tunnels that twisted and led you outside if you weren't invited in...

Great stone walls and artfully crafted gates that locked shut and stopped even the most determined of peepers.

"Thinks we're ready now, my small friend?"

"Yes."

-/-

Everyone settles into their new home happily, and takes to the work with enthusiasm. Mr Wonka is in his element, darting around the workers, coming up with new ideas, and somehow, Shikako is the one who becomes his Keeper. Not that that was her official title - no, that was assistant - but she was the one who made sure he ate and slept and kept clean. She was the one who reminded him of appointments and kept track of his schedule. She was the one who would sit with him for long hours into the night as they discussed exactly how to make his newest creations.

It all went wrong 15 years later.

Shikako hadn't been there. She'd caught a bug and taken the day off. Her replacement was very good, very organised, but he didn't quite have her instinct for seeing dangerous things before they caused trouble.

Mr Wonka had been so lucky that they had been dredging the chocolate river that day.

And after, he'd been convinced he needed to take precautions. If there was another accident; if he grew too old... Someone would have to take care of the Oompa Loompas.

"Shikako, I need a heir. Can you make me 5 tickets? Golden ones that can't be copied?"

"Of course. Why five?"

"I have a plan."

-/-

The tickets were made, the announcements made, the factory tidied and polished and shined. Everything was made ready for the big day. In their office, Mr Wonka watched the television with furrowed brows.

"They don't look like much."

"There is still one ticket out there. We might get lucky."

"Maybe... I hope..."

They did get lucky. Compared to the first four children, the last boy, Charlie... Shikako couldn't out her finger on why, but she knew he was the one. Mr Wonka thought so too. Still, they had to be fair. Each child would get a chance...

-/-

Shikako smirked at her cousin as the last boy was whisked away back to the outside world. Her contracts would keep the failed candidates from speaking, but it did leave the issue of...

"He took the candy."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

She grimaced, but went to relay the news to the Boss. She could understand. She knew what is was like to be hungry and desperate. Still, Chalie and seemed such a promising candidate. Still did if she was honest. Perhaps one last test...? He hadn't left the factory just yet...

-/-

Mr Wonka beamed as he bounced down the corridor. It was just as bright as the others, but it didn't have quite the same polished feel to it. It was more... homely. Here and the little Oompa Loompa children were playing, and was that a grandmother...?

"This way Charlie! We're almost there!"

There was a door at the end, yellow and black striped tape decorating it and a sign warning curious children to stay out on pain of whizz poppers catching them. Charlie felt a stirring of trepidation as Mr Wonka didn't even hesitate and just darted in.

"Shikako! He passed! I told you he would pass!"

The Oompa Loompa inside was dressed in relatively plain colours and had a smirk on her face. "I told you, you mean. Hello Charlie."

"Charlie! This is Shikako, my best friend in all the world. Without her, this factory wouldn't have been possible!" He beamed at the small woman, her hair neatly plaited back and her expression fond tolerance. Charlie gave a nervous smile. "And Shikako! He said yes! I have a heir!"

She smiled at Mr Wonka and patted him fondly on the arm. "So he did. Hello Charlie, it's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Miss Shikako."

She cackled. "Just Shikako, Charlie. Just Shikako is fine."


	10. Full Immersion (Xover)

Someone in the forums made a comment about this cross again and it was one I'd have liked to see at some point. Would have continued but it was getting a bit long. Also. Time. :(

 **Full Immersion**

-/-

Amelie wasn't sure she liked her new life that much. Her (twenty third? twenty sixth? She'd lost count) 'mother' was more interested in parties and dinners - socializing her way to popularity - while her 'father' was more concerned with supporting her Uncle's aspirations for his company than spending time with her. They had little time for their only child, brilliant as she was so long as her health kept her confined to her home. If only they could have taken her to places, introduced her to their colleagues as their perfect angel... Oh, they cared in their own way, they made sure she was fed, physically safe and had plenty of funds for almost anything she wanted, anything except time - time with her parents, or family, or friends. Instead, she was left in the care of an array of constantly changing strangers - nannies first, then tutors, then most recently a single housekeeper who rarely spoke to her. It left her devoid of the most important things, the things that had helped her adjust and accept each time she was cursed with a new life - the things called bonds.

Amelie was six years old and had never had anyone she could call friend.

In other lives, there was always a threat, a danger, something to strive towards. It might be subtle; whispers here or there of a hidden terror. It might be more obvious; a threat from a foreign nation with terrible ideals menacing her borders. Once or twice, she'd been born within such terrible places herself, and had led a revolution from the inside. There was always something though, a purpose that called to her that she couldn't imagine refusing - a person, a friend, a sibling. In this one, she couldn't find anything that might be her purpose and she had no bonds that could lead her to anything either, no way to leave the house and explore. It was frustrating, lonely and most of all boring.

-/-

When Amelie was nine, she made a life-changing discovery. It hadn't been easy, there were a huge number of restrictions keeping young children from exploring the internet but she had little to spend her time on but learning. The little access she had was to support her home study practice delivered by her tutors, and it was heavily restricted on what sights she could visit. Her saving grace, was, in the end, Wikipedia. Through it she confirmed that this was a world a lot like her original world could have been a few decades into the future. Technology, animals, even the country names and languages were all the same as Earth, even the planet's name matched that of her barely remembered world. The highlight though, was the University Cram course.

It was designed for kids age 12 to 18, and claimed to prepare you completely for university. You could take it at your own pace, choosing your own modules and you could do it all from home. It was for a generation of kids who could and would build their entire career online. It was for a group of people who were online almost all the time, who rarely moved away from their screen, and had full unlimited access to the internet.

-/-

At the end of their regular family meal, not that there was much family bonding, Amelie pulled out her tablet from beside her, and opened the browser to the application page.

"Mama?" Her mother, flipped through some more papers, a tilt of her head the only sign she was paying any attention. "I found a new course I want to take, but I need permission."

Her mother glanced up with a blink. "You've finished your previous ones already?"

Amelie nodded, careful to keep her eagerness of her face. She had given up trying to convince her parents of granting her full access years ago, but the permission was intrinsic in her new application pack. If her mother would just...

The tablet was gently taken from in front of her and her mother skimmed through the application information. "Hm, an interesting choice. More versatile than your previous courses." She frowned slightly, "I've had good reports on your progress, but will you be able to keep up?"

Amelie nodded firmly, and her mother sighed. "We did say if you ever had a reason..." She mumbled to herself. "Very well, but if you fail to keep up with your current pace of study I will rescind my permission."

"Yes Mama."

"You may leave the table."

-/-

The first thing Amelie did after completing her registration for her new course, was explore. Not the site itself, although there were a huge number of options available, but the internet itself with her new access. It was a huge, crazy place, and while it lacked the immersive nature of many of the previous worlds networks, it was also her first chance to look for the truth of her new world. Never before had she ended up in a place where there wasn't some sort of purpose for her. What purpose she could have here, housebound and lonely, she didn't know, but she searched the internet for a good few months while rushing through her assignments. Surely, she thought to herself repeatedly, there was some purpose out there for her?

Eventually, she turned more to online gaming. Her parents didn't mind covering any possible fees so long as she kept her current academic progress, which she was, easily. So, after her five hours of compulsory tutoring were complete, and two hours devoted to coursework, she would log onto the internet and cease to be Amelie.

Instead, she would be Shikabane, an anonymous gamer well known for her affinity for combat based games, her ruthlessness and her strong strategic skills.

At least when playing, boredom and the restrictions of her physical age didn't bother her.

-/-

4 years later and what little attention her parents paid her had virtually stopped. Her efforts in the online world had given her people she considered friends - and somehow her YouTube persona, NinjaInShadow, had gained a following. Posting a let's play of her initial attempts at one of the newer games had been a whim, and her friends encouragement the only reason she kept doing it, but somehow it had led to a couple of million people following her. It had been unnerving at first, knowing that so many were watching her play, listening to her absentminded commentary and coming back for more. It still was when she thought about it.

Then the requests to play particular games had come. At first, it was just supported by a free copy of whichever game, later there were other incentives for time spent. Getting a video of someone's game on her channel was enough to boost sales 80% of the time, and the game companies knew it. She'd been as honest as always was and while it wasn't always flattering, it did result in publicity. This kept her fans happy, the game makers paying her... and her parents had been pleased with her 'mercurial spirit' too. It was one of the few times she'd seen genuine acknowledgment in her father's eyes - not that it had lasted long before he was called away again.

Which made this latest offer all the more interesting.

In three months, a new console would be released on market. She had been selected by the company behind the console, the NerveGear, to do a recorded walk through as one of their publicity stunts. She would be doing it live, and only an hour after it was released in stores - early enough to be done before most people had tried it out but not so early that it was impossible for a member of the public to have begun.

Full immersion.

She would be completely within a game; she wouldn't be restricted to PoV or controller based games. She would be able to move and run and stretch as much as she liked, and if the game was what was promised... Then once the recorders were off and she could do as she liked...

Shikako would walk and fight again.


	11. Rocky Timelines

Damn it, I have other things I promised myself I'd write...

-/-

Shikako blinks awake, hand going under her pillow to the kunai she'd stashed there, her breathing ragged. A few minutes later, her heart beat relaxed as she failed to pick up any approaching chakra signatures and her grip on the weapon loosened.

She'd had one of those dreams again, that was all.

No one knew.

Her secret was safe.

-/-

As Shikako checked her room was tidy, and headed to the Academy, she kept her head down. That was her whole life at the moment, head down, voice quiet - don't make waves, don't get noticed - and wait for the day she could get far enough away from the village to disappear.

Iwa wasn't anything like Konoha.

Oh, they we friendly enough in their own way, but where Konoha was about teamwork and friends and we're all in this together... Iwa was about being strong and steady and unfailing. They were rigid traditionalists - clans and nobles came first, civilians - what few there were - came last, with civilian-born shinobi trailing in various places in the middle.

Shikako fell in the last group, the orphaned daughter of a pair of travelling merchants that had got sick and died in the village. She'd been raised in the orphanage until she was five, then placed in single shinobi housing. Unlike in Konoha, she'd never had a choice on if she would be a shinobi or not.

Now, she was 11 and it was time for the graduation exam. She was two places above the middle rank in her class, and was expected to pass. Immediately after, she'd be placed out running supplies for the front lines.

Hopefully she could last a little bit longer... The Third Shinobi war would be over soon wouldn't it? Just another year or two more if she remembered her history books.

She hoped she didn't get caught up in the Yellow Flash's debut.

Wouldn't that be ironic?

-/-

Shikako kept her face stone-still as her training demanded. Beside her, one other chunnin and three jonnin stood ready for orders. Despite her best efforts of passing unnoticed, her talents as a sensor had been identified and she'd been trained up and promoted. This, would be her first A-ranked mission, in this life at least.

"After three months a new team will be sent in to replace you. It is essential you hold your position - we have lost too many of our supply routes already. If Kannabi bridge falls..."

This was worse than getting caught up in a fight with the Yellow Flash.

-/-

She'd sensed Rin, Obito and Kakashi approaching from a good few miles away. Or at least, she sensed Kakashi and two other signatures with him. She would have known her old sensei anywhere - young as it was. Obito's signature, so like Sasuke's, was easy to guess, and the third, a female, feeling of the sharp tang of medical herbs she'd once helped her aunts and uncles prepare could only have been Rin.

She had being debating whether to report them or not, to let their mission go to plan or not, when two of the jonnin who had been out on patrol switched to an intercept route. She kept her breath steady, not letting herself pause as she turned to the team leader.

"Taicho, the others have intercepted a Konoha team. They appear to be brining back one of them with them."

He gave her a sharp nod. "Good, conceal yourself and be ready to signal me if any other shinobi approach."

Shikako nodded and sunk carefully into the wall of the cave they we hiding in, suppressing her chakra. She'd have to wait to see if there was anything she could do one way or the other once they arrived.

-/-

She hadn't signalled when Kakashi had followed Obito. Her lack of warning had been enough to let the pair take out first one of her comrades, then the others. Slumped against the wall she was hiding in, she monitored her former Captain's chakra carefully. He wasn't dead quite yet, and he knew she was there.

She could feel his chakra brushing against her own as it seeped out into the surrounding cave.

She should intervene.

Now was the perfect time.

But she'd been hiding so long... She wasn't quite quick enough.

-/-

Her hands wrapped around Obito's body, pulling him carefully to the surface, nervous of the chakra signature rapidly approaching through the ground. She recognised it dimly as that of one of the Akatsuki, probably the plant like one Zetsu. Why he was so intent on claiming Obito, she wasn't sure. Her best guess was that Madara wanted his eyes - or eye.

Well, she wasn't going to let that happen.

They way her future-sensei's chakra had flared with grief and anger... She couldn't let him suffer like that, not when it was within her skills to help. She hesitated as she sensed more shinobi approaching from two directions - Iwa and Konoha. With the bridge down, Konoha would station people in the area to ensure they couldn't rebuild. Iwa would want to do the same, to ensure they could rebuild. The two teams were about to clash and unfortunately tell it looked like the Iwa team would arrive first.

Getting caught with an injured but alive Uchiha would be a very bad move - or a very good one if she was actually a loyal shinobi of Iwa.

Obito was dying. Unless he received medical treatment very very soon, he wasn't going to make it. Still, time was relative. She knew that better than anyone. And if her seal failed... Well better he die and his body be lost than end up as a breeding stud for her village.

-/-

She couldn't bring herself to go to Konoha. She could claim to be Shikako, a displaced Nara, but without blood tests there would only be her memories and there was too much in her head to risk Inoichi ripping through it. Her ability to pull of Nara techniques, her classic Iwa features and her knowledge of classified Konoha information (the many codes she'd once learnt went defunct yet - they were only just being introduced) would paint a very poor picture. She'd be executed as an infiltrator, or kept contained away somewhere - alive but helpless.

Instead, she found a cave deeply buried and warded it with as many barrier seals as she could find. Seals to hide chakra signatures, to distort location, to bar entry... She made the cave as secure as she could and then drew out a seal she'd cobbled together from the memories of her past research frenzy oh so many years ago. She'd been trying to find a way to restore Shika's arm and while Tsunade had come through before she had finished it, the knowledge was all there. There was just slightly more to restore this time. Like, an entire half of a body.

Another week or three to charge, and she would unseal Obito. Hopefully the stasis seal had worked like she hoped and he would still be alive to come out...

Hopefully.

-/-

She used earth ninjutsu to hold him in place while the seal did its job, her shadow paralysis wouldn't have held long enough. That, and she didn't want to feel him trying to thrash about in pain from her healing seal. It wasn't as refined as the one she's known before, in Konoha, but then her knowledge of medical studies was barely sufficient and she didn't dare add in pain killers to the process. Obito would just have to suffer through feeling his cells forcefully regenerate.

When it was over, Obito passed out from the pain, Shikako sat back exhausted and wondered what to do next. Obito would need time to recover, at least a week or two before he could safely make the journey back to Konoha, and he wasn't going to want to stay with her either. He wouldn't believe she'd helped out of the goodness of her own heart until she personally escorted him back to Konoha and she couldn't bring herself to do that. Even then, he might not quite believe her...

She wished she had her Gellel stone. If she could just hide as a shadow it would be so much easier. No one would be able to trap or interrogate her then.

Actually, that could be something she could do with herself while waiting for the timeline to catch up a bit...

-/-

Obito woke up feeling whole, pain-free and paranoid. He cracked his eyes open slightly as he kept his breath even, certain that this was a trap of some last thing he could remember was being held down by stone bands, in a sealed cave, while chakra washed over him in repeated agonising waves. Iwa definitely, no one else used stone or earth like they did. Which meant he was captured, behind enemy lines.

Then his mind caught up with his actions, and he bolted up right.

He wasn't chained down anymore, there was the smell of fresh air so he wasn't underground... And he had both eyes? He distinctly remembered giving one of them to Kakashi. That hadn't been a dream had it?

Absently, not wanting to look at his right side, he clutched at his right arm - whole, not crushed! - and brushed against something crinkly.

There was something stuck to his chest. A map. A map showing where he was, where the latest patrol routes were and an easy route avoiding them back to Konoha - or more specifically, a border post team that apparently contained Kushina-sama, Sensei's girlfriend. There were no details on who, or what or why, except a single signature at the end - Shikako, next to a leaf symbol. Obito swallowed and pulsed his chakra. His reserves were still low, low enough he didn't want to risk - try - and activate his Sharingan yet... But this couldn't be real. Things like this just didn't happen.

The world didn't waver.

Obito let out a sob and clutched the note to his chest. He'd survived.

-/-

Shikako froze. It had taken her long than she liked to trace her way back to the Gellel mine - almost a year in she'd eventually found her way there and to that central chamber where it had all began. She dropped her bag to the side and settled in to the middle of the seal, wondering what to do next. There were no loose chips of stone anywhere she could claim, and she wasn't about to start tampering with the seal either - it apparently could create black holes and she had no desire to create one of those in the middle of nowhere.

After a moments hesitation, she pulled out her sleeping bag and prepared to sleep. She'd been up since dawn tracing the chakra flow back to here. She would decide what to do after her nap.

She didn't notice the drip of a single drop of blood from where she'd scraped her leg on a jagged bit of stone on her way in.

-/-

Her dreams wee filled with stars and peace and everything. Soft and gentle and endless kindness and she was so lost. She just wanted to be home again, back with Shika and Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. She wanted her parents, her kind wonderful parents who had always given her a choice and not demanded - ordered - her to fight for a village she didn't love...

-/-

"Shikako! Wake up! Come on Shikako!"

She let out a groan, her head swimming with the remnants of stars and planets and endless endless peace...

"Shikako! Your alive!"

There was someone clinging to her - someone oddly familiar? Where did she know this person from...? She opened her eyes to see Naruto hoping around cheerily in the background, doing some kind of victory dance, while in front of her knelt...

"Ne, Obito-sensei... Why's Shikako looking at you like that?"


	12. Therapy

Partly inspired by Kei's giant scorpion therapist (here). Partly because Kako needs someone too.

-/-

I swallowed nervously and checked again that there was no one in the area. My senses were strained to the furthest limit that they could be, and the perimeter seals I had learnt for exactly this purpose were all firmly in place.

I didn't want to do this.

I _really_ didn't want to do this.

But, Kakashi-sensei was right. Everyone needed someone to talk to and if _he_ could find someone he trusted enough to bare his soul to then so could I. His suggestions had been spot on as well once I'd edited out the suggestion of the memorial stone. Unlike my brother's. I loved them dearly, but that was exactly why I couldn't talk to him or Ino or Inoichi. Ignoring their obvious duty to tell the Hokage, I couldn't stand the thought of how they would look at me when it all came out. And talking to one of the T &I specialists who moonlighted as psychiatrists wouldn't have worked either…

So here I was.

I checked again, as carefully as I could. There was no one else in the area. I took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering sigh. Then, in one swift motion before I could change my mind I slammed my bloody hand flat on the ground. There was the familiar rush of chakra going away, and then flooding back and I stepped back nervously. This was an unusual request, one he would be completely within his rights to refuse, but I needed someone.

"Heijomaru-sama," I said, bowing deeply, "I have a question, and depending on the answer, I may need to ask a favour."

-/-

The reverse summon the next night felt oddly like I imagined apparition would have been like. I'd told Dad where I was, and what I was doing. I hadn't told anyone else, but I shouldn't – didn't have to. It was none of their business. I had taken two weeks leave. Even if everything went horribly wrong, I could be spared for a couple of hours and I needed this. Even if we didn't get to the… complicated… parts, having someone to talk to freely…

"Chinami-kaa-san is waiting for you in the glade."

I blinked. I hadn't expected…

Heijomaru chuckled. "Chinami was leader of our Herd before me. There are none wiser or better able to help the young unravel their problems. She is also one of the few people that I cannot simply order around." He smiled at me, in a way I had only recently come to recognise. "You asked for privacy and one with whom you could share secrets safely. So long as it will not harm the Deer summons, you will find this with her."

"Thank you."

I bowed in response to his nod of acknowledgment and then stumbled on alone. There were only a few trees between myself and the clearing. In the middle there was an old doe, her fur a dark brown, threaded with light silver around her hooves, a large boulder to her far side. She blinked calmly at me and I resisted the urge to shuffle my feet. It was ok. I was their summoner. Our bond was sealed with blood and chakra.

"Thank you for seeing me Chinami-sama."

She hummed soothingly and blinked liquid black eyes at me calmly. "You need not use honorifics when you are with me, young one. Not unless it helps you to feel more comfortable."

I blinked. That was odd… but I was willing to accept it. I licked my lips which were suddenly dry. My hands were trembling. "Anything we speak of won't be shared? Its private?" I asked, just to confirm. I believed Heijomaru, but I had to be _sure_.

Chinami nodded slowly. "It is. Unless it is a danger to the Herd which I am sure Maru-kun has already explained."

My lips quirked at the nickname so similar to my brothers. Then I remembered why I was here, why I had requested this meeting. "Chinami-sama, I don't know how much your son has told you, but I need to speak to someone. I have too many secrets and I…" I trailed off, unsure how to explain the rest of it.

"Your shadow is wrong." She prompted, the words impossibly soft and gentle, accepting. "You are confused with your sense of self. Or perhaps you are ignoring parts of your whole."

I blinked. "Yes…"

She eased herself to her feet, stepping delicately over to me, before nudging me towards a comfortable looking patch of grass on the other side of where she had been sitting. It was at the base of the stone, and next to it was a wooden bowl of water. I took a drink – it helped with my dry throat.

"It will not be easy, but you can recover." She gazed at me with solemn black eyes. "Tell me why you have sought me out."

-/-

I returned later than I had planned. Shikamaru was in his room, his chakra dulled in sleep. Mum's was too. Dad was waiting up for me, one of the boards set up with the remains of a game. He glanced up when I came in. His eyes assessing. I felt tired, exhausted in a way that had nothing to do with the physical. At the same time though, I felt calmer, more relaxed. Dad must have sensed this because he relaxed slightly.

"It went well?"

I smiled at him. It was a little shaky, but it was genuine. "Yeah. I'm going back to talk some more day after tomorrow. Its… I like her."

He nodded in that calm way of his. "Good."

He stood up, stretching with a yawn. I hesitated, then impulsively gave him a hug. "I love you, dad."

He blinked down at me in surprise, even as his arms came up to hold me carefully. I tightened my grip and closed my eyes, feeling a little embarrassed. "I just wanted to say it. I don't think I say it enough."

He was silent for a second, before I felt one of his hands move up to rest lightly on my head. "I love you too."

We stayed like that for a few minutes, before his grip loosened and I let go reluctantly. When he turned and guided me upstairs to my room I went willingly, feeling unusually heavy. He hesitated at the door.

"Don't worry about your chores in the morning. I'll take care of them."

I blinked in surprise, but he was already moving down the corridor to his and Mum's room. A smile tugged at my lips and I fell into my bed. I had a long way to go. I had to deal with my own issues before I could start thinking about everyone else's' concerns but… I liked Chinami. She knew what she was talking about.

With her help, I was sure I'd get somewhere.


	13. Rainbow Shades

Part of the Soul Marking thing that nearly took over Recursive.

 **-/-**

 **Everyone knows about Soul-marks...**

They show up on civilians in bright streaks and stains, from the soft rose of a first crush's kiss on a cheek to the gentle blues of a comforting embrace. Any form of contact where the one of the pair feel strong emotions leaves some form of mark - one that only fades with the emotion it is linked to. It leaves most people an ever shifting canvas of bright colours, except, of course, some emotions don't fade, and nor do their marks. Jiraya's books are full of passionate red kisses that remain hidden under silk scarves for long years of separation and bitter green handprints of jealousy hidden under long sleeves. It's a plot point for him. A convenient way for the readers to know that whatever happened next… well.

There are only two exceptions to this I've found: black - the mark of a death blow, and Shinobi. Unlike any other human, shinobi marks are dull and faded. The civilian's mutter that this is because the soul of a shinobi is damaged, that they just can't feel things the same way as ordinary folk. It's a rumour that the Villages encourage. Better their weapons are seen as just that – soulless tools.

The truth is simpler. The soul manifests through chakra, and the controlled chakra of a shinobi doesn't leak out to the skin as much, making the stains weaker. They are still there though. They still shine as brightly, ripple as much when their bearer feels that same emotion again, when exposed. It's part of life, everyone has them, all the time. Everyone.

Everyone, thinks Shikaku as he brushes a gloved finger over baby fuzz hair, everyone except his little girl.

Her colours are already fading and she's barely a handful of days old. Its slightly disturbing.

-/-

 **Fear, a sickly yellow…**

Shikamaru is easy to care for. He snuggles into them, his skin patterned with soft content baby blues. Shikako cries. There are few hints on why. Mostly the occasional cautious hand leaves a faded grey smear that quickly vanishes, or a sickly yellow bruise that fades as quickly. It is very very rare that blue shows on her skin, and even then it never lingers long.

Shikaku can't help but worry. Babies are quick to adapt but… he's never seen colours fade as fast as hers do. Occasionally, he wonders what it would take for something to stick.

He finds out, before the twins are even a month old. He returns to find his son bawling, yellow and blue smears over his skin as he clings to his mother. Scared, but the yellows fading with his hiccupping sobs and every brush of his wife's hand leaves a trail of blue. He'll be fine.

His daughter…

There is no blue on her skin. No faded colours either. She shines with a sickly yellow beneath which she is pale and still. Yoshino's efforts haven't helped and she looks up at him with pleading eyes and hands stained a red streaked yellow of her own. He swallows and takes his daughter, sinking into a chair, calling his chakra forth and singing her a lullaby.

The yellow tint never quite fades from her skin, but slowly, slowly, she beings to move again.

-/-

 **Surprise, leaf green…**

-/-

Shikaku can't help but chuckle the day his children come home with little green hand prints littering their arms. His son sends him a disgruntled look, but his daughter grins back at him. She has far fewer marks than her brother, and he's not entirely sure it's due to how quickly her colours fade or how dull they are. She's surprisingly good at avoiding people touching her when she chooses.

"Have fun?"

She nods eagerly, leaning into him as he puts an arm around her in a half hug. It pleases him more than he can explain to see the fleeting flickers of bright blue where his fingertips brush.

"We played ninja! You had to be really sneaky and surprise the other person – it didn't count unless they turned green." She beams at him, holding out her arms for inspection. "I hardly got caught at all!"

Shikamaru mumbles under his breath and curls up in a sunlit chair. His arms are a lot more green, but there are hints of blue and orange there as well.

-/-

 **Friendship, cheerful orange…**

-/-

The sixth time his daughter comes home with orange hands, she's babbling about Ino and Sakura and how awesome her two new friends are. He listens quietly with a small smile. He knows Ino, of course he does, and he is aware of Sakura too – one of this year's civilian-born students.

The fifth, fourth, third and second time are due to different people and the colours don't last long. They're temporary marks. Little things and nothing like the bright colour from when she made her first friend.

Her first friend… He managed to keep his face still and calm when he saw, though he isn't quite sure how. He hadn't interacted much with the boy before then and he didn't have a problem with her befriending him. Not really. Naruto is just a boy… Logically he knows this.

 _(Sickly yellow skin on a too quiet baby girl…)_

And he knows too from the brightness of the colour on the other boy the next day as they leave the classroom together that it's not going to go away any time soon. Still, it could have been worse.

She could have bonded with the Tsume's boy. He came with noisy relative too.

-/-

 **Ultra Violet, focused attention…**

-/-

Purple is a colour Shikaku is familiar with. It appears sparingly in a clan that prefer to ignore troublesome things but in his offices where the plans and counter plans they make can be the difference between life and death… It's a lot more common.

Still. He'd never quite seen that shade before.

It wasn't everywhere – just a dot on her cheek where someone had poked her while she was deep in thought – but it hadn't faded. And it was so obviously bright. He had to ask.

"Thinking hard?"

She blinked at him, and shook her head. He hummed softly to himself.

"Worrying about graduation?" She pouted at him, and pulled her chakra in tight. It made the dot on her forehead vanish and his lips twitched into a smile.

"I'm going to be with Naruto and Sasuke aren't I?"

He let out a low sigh, more of a hum really. "You don't want to be?"

She bit her lip, the purple dot reappearing as her grip on her chakra slackened. He waited patiently to see if she'd say more. If she'd ask he could do something, say something and she'd be put in a different team. It would be safer for her in the long run, being away from those two who would only be trouble as they grew older.

"No I do…" She hesitated and then nodded firmly to herself, that shocking purple fading. "I do."

…Well. That was that.


End file.
